A Dream Come True
by LeandraStar2000
Summary: A woman in need of rescue, a ship in the right place at the right time.


Title: A Dream Come True Author: LeandraStar2000 Rating: R Review: Please Do (be brutally honest) Summary: A woman in need of rescue, a ship in the right place at the right time. Pairings: Dylan/original character Disclaimer: This story is based on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda owned by Tribune Entertainment. This story meant for free entertainment for fans like myself who love Andromeda. None of my original characters is based on a real person. They exist only in my head (so to speak ha). Any resemblance is purely coincidental Author's Note: This story came about because of a dream that I had. Not the exact premise, but the idea.  
  
It was cold, very cold, and dark. I didn't know where I was or how I had gotten here. The last thing I could remember clearly was entering that bar on Cavannah Drift to meet with a potential employer. After that, my mind was blank. The next thing I know I wake up in this cold, dark place that feels suspiciously like a box.  
I try to lift my head only to bump it on a cold steel surface above me. A pounding at the base of my skull where it feels like someone clobbered me in the back of the head tells me not to move very much. Considering some of the people I have had to work for simply to feed my family, I probably was conked on the back of the head.  
I had no way of knowing how long I had been unconscious and as the temperature around me continued to drop, I began to discover other injuries on my body. From the sharp pain in my right rib cage, which I discovered attempting to get more comfortable, I probably had a couple of fractured ribs. I began to shiver and I knew that the air around me was becoming dangerously cold, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.  
I began to think about my family, sending up a prayer that they would be okay. Praying that someone would find me so that I could return to them and finally, praying they would be all right without me. My last thought as unconsciousness took hold of me once more was "there are worse ways to die."  
  
The murmur of voices brought me back to wakefulness. "Easy Harper, it looks like she's hurt pretty badly." I heard a voice say. I could hear things going on around me, could feel myself being lifted and the pain that caused me, but I could not respond. Though I made the effort to speak and open my eyes, my body would not obey my commands.  
I could hear the hum of a scanner and the his of a hypospray, and some of the pain subsided. Then, came the same voice that had spoken before. "How is she Trance?"  
  
"I have healed most of her injuries, but I am concerned about her body temperature staying so low. I have about ran out of ideas for raising it."  
"Is that why she is still unconscious?"  
"I'm not unconscious, I can hear every word you're saying." I wanted to scream but couldn't. This was a very strange predicament, being fully aware of what's going on around you, yet unable to physically react to it. As my frustration reached it's peak, I felt a touch upon my face and wondered who it was.  
"She is even cold to the touch." The same male voice spoke again. The feminine voice did not reply but I could imagine her shaking her head in agreement.  
"You take a break Trance, I'll sit with her for a while. I'll have Rommie call you if you're needed."  
"Aye Captain."  
Okay, now I knew two new pieces of information. The female's name was Trance and the male was her Captain. If only I could speak to them, see their faces. I thought as oblivion once more claimed me.  
  
When I awoke again, all was quiet and this time I was able to slowly open my eyes and look around me. That was a good sign, my motor functions were finally returning. The next thing I became aware of was that someone was holding my hand. I looked in that direction to find a man sitting at my side his head down on the side of my bed. I don't know if it was the slight shift of my weight when I turned my head or what, but he suddenly sat up. I found myself face to face with the handsomest man I had ever seen.  
His eyes were ice blue, his hair brown. He was muscular but not overly so. On his face was a look of such determination that I knew he would accomplish anything he set his mind to. Through those eyes I could see his very soul.  
"Hey, you're awake. How do you feel?" he said a smile spreading over his face.  
"Like I've been run over by a starship." I managed to croak out. "What happened, where am I?"  
"You are on board the Systems Commonwealth ship The Andromeda Ascendant. I am Dylan Hunt, Captain of the Andromeda. As for what happened to you, we were hoping you would be able to tell us what happened to you. We found you floating in a life pod near the Perseit home world. The life pod's life support systems were failing. Can you tell me how you got there?"  
"No, I'm sorry, I can't. I don't remember. The last thing I remember is going into a bar on Cavannah Drift." I answered.  
"Cavannah Drift, what were you doing there?"  
"Trying to survive." I snapped.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound like a criticism."  
"I know Captain. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'll tell you my story, I promise, but I am so tired and I am so cold. I still feel like I'm in that life pod."  
"Trance report to medical." I heard him say as I felt myself engulfed by darkness once more.  
  
"Her temperature is still unstable Dylan. If we don't get it back up to normal levels soon, I am afraid it may cause permanent damage." I heard the next time I came awake. "I've tried everything I know to increase it and it's just not working."  
"Can she be moved?" Captain Hunt asked.  
"Yes, but why?"  
"You said that you have tried everything you know to try, well, I have an idea." I then felt myself being picked up off of the bed. I instinctively reached out for something to balance me and wrapped my arms around Captain Hunt's neck.  
I didn't know at the time where he was taking me, but would find out later that he took me to his own quarters. There he lay me on his bed, lay down beside me, pulled me tightly against him and pulled a heavy blanket over us both.  
"I don't know if you can hear me." He said "but this is the only way I know of to get you warm."  
How long he held me, I don't know for I slipped back into unconsciousness.  
  
Warmth and contentment were the sensations that woke me next. At first I didn't remember where I was but as I came more fully awake, I became aware of a strong arm around me. It was then I remembered being carried into this room and the Captain's words to me.  
I started to turn over to look at him, but only made it onto my back before I was stopped by the pain in my heard and shoulders. I couldn't keep a moan from escaping. This awoke the man at my side.  
"What is it? Are you all right?" he asked  
He reacted to my distress as if he held me in his arms every night and knew what my normal sleep pattern was. It was comforting to feel like I had someone taking care of me.  
"My head hurts." I replied.  
"You hit your head or someone hit you on the head. When we pulled you out of that life pod, you had a knot at the base of your skull the size of a baseball. My medical officer says that's why you have been in and out of consciousness so much. It's taking the nanobots a little longer to heal the damage there than it took for them to heal your other injuries because the nerves and vessels are so much more complex in that area." He said. He still had one arm around my waist and he used the other to prop himself up on an elbow to look down at me.  
"How long have I been on your ship?" I asked.  
"Almost four days."  
"Could you tell how long I had been on the life pod?"  
"The best my engineer could figure, it looked as if you had been on board for about a week."  
I couldn't help it, at that point I began to cry. It had been almost two weeks since I had disappeared. Two weeks since my family knew where I was and if I was okay. Two weeks that my family had to live without my income. Were they safe, were they warm, did they have enough to eat. These thoughts raced through my mind as I began to panic.  
"Hey, don't cry, you're safe here with us. No one can hurt you here." The Captain said gathering me back into his arms.  
"I'm safe, but what about my family? What has happened to them? My income puts food on the table for them every night. What have they done for the last two weeks?"  
"Listen, calm down and tell me about yourself and your family and maybe I can do something to help them."  
"And what would you expect in return?" I asked becoming defensive and trying to pull away from him. I was completely at his mercy, in no shape to defend myself. I felt no danger from this man, though I could not stop myself from expecting the worst.  
"I expect nothing in return. You need my help and I will give what help I can to you and your family."  
"Why?" I asked completely puzzled by his overwhelming generosity. "I am a stranger to you."  
"Yes, you are a stranger to me, I don't even know your name, but I believe that every kind deed will be rewarded a hundred fold one day and so I help those in need and keep the faith that when I am in need, someone will do the same for me."  
His words calmed me and I relaxed once more, though I was still worried about my family.  
"How many are in your family?" he interrupted my thoughts by saying.  
"Eight besides me. There are my grandparents, parents, two sisters, my aunt and my uncle."  
"Where is your family and how were you supporting that many people?"  
"The last I remember, we were living on Cavannah Drift. My father, uncle, and I are quite knowledgeable in computer systems. We took on odd jobs of computer repair and system setup where we could get them. When the jobs ran out, we moved on. The others got work when they could find it, but jobs are hard to find for refugees."  
"Refugees? From where?"  
"Earth."  
"You said the last you remember you were living on Cavannah Drift. What is the last thing you remember before waking up in the life pod?"  
"I went to the Crazy Dane Bar to meet with a potential employer. I remember feeling a hypospray on my upper arm and then nothing. The next thing I know I am waking up in a cold dark place that's getting colder by the minute. I went out again and then woke up here on your ship."  
"Is their anyone whom you have made angry recently?"  
"I branched out a while back and began to do some hacking as well as repair and setup. None of my family knows this, but we needed the extra money. I never hire out for anything major, all of my jobs have been little petty things, but on my last job, my employer was not exactly happy with the information I gave him. It was nothing I did, I retrieved the file he wanted, he just didn't like what he saw in it."  
"Could it have been him who knocked you out in the bar?"  
"Possibly. I'm sorry, I just can't remember what happened between the time I entered the bar and when I woke up on the life pod. It's all just a haze."  
"That's all right, don't worry about it. If you will give me the names of your family members, I'll see what I can find out about them for you. I'll also see what Rommie can dig up on help for refugees."  
"I'm sorry, I haven't even told you my name I am Alexandra Horn. My friends call me Alex."  
"It's nice to meet you Alexandra. I promise you I will do everything I can to help you and your family. Will you be all right if I go get things started? Do you feel well enough to be left alone for a little bit?" he asked.  
"I'm fine Captain. I am very grateful to you for everything you have done for me."  
"Please call me Dylan and you are more than welcome. I am glad we found you when we did. I'll send Rommie in with some clothes for you. There is a shower right through there, feel free to use it. I want you to report to my medical officer for a checkup, then Rommie will take you on a tour of the ship. I'll talk to you later." He replied getting up and heading for the door.  
"Who is Rommie?" I asked.  
"She is the Andromeda's Avatar." He snatched something off a table by the door and handed it to me. It was a flexi. "List the names of your family members and I'll start that search." He told me.  
I did as he asked and handed the flexi back to him.  
"I'll let you know as soon as I find anything. Rommie will be here shortly, until then, please make yourself at home."  
I went to the area where he had indicated the shower was and made use of the facilities there. The shower felt wonderful and I felt a lot better afterwards. When I came back into the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel, I found a very beautiful woman waiting there.  
"Uh, hello." I stammered feeling a little uncomfortable, fearing that perhaps this woman belonged in Dylan's room and I did not.  
"Hello, I'm Rommie. The Captain asked me to bring you some clothes and give you a tour of the ship." As she spoke she gestured toward the clothes she had lain across the bed. I moved forward and inspected the clothes. They seemed to be the right size and so I said nothing.  
"Is there anything else that you need?" Rommie asked.  
"No, thank you. It looks like you thought of everything. I appreciate everything you and your crew have done for me."  
"I'll wait for you outside so that you can get dressed. If you need anything simply call my name and I will hear you." She replied and exited the room.  
I got dressed quickly and ran my fingers through my drying hair. When I was ready, I walked toward the door which opened revealing Rommie standing guard outside.  
"Are you ready for your tour?" she asked turning to face me.  
"Lead on." I replied.  
As we walked she gave me a history of the Andromeda. We started our tour on the Command Deck where I was introduced to the ship's first officer Beka Valentine and the ship's resident Nietzschean, Telemachus Rhade. From there I saw the conference room, observation deck, hydroponics, mess hall, then engineering. In engineering I met the ship's engineer Seamus Harper. We quickly became involved in a conversation about the latest developments in AI interface technology. His knowledge of engineering and technology was amazing.  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Captain wanted you to have a checkup today as well." Rommie said after Harper and I had been talking for over an hour. I nodded at her and took my leave of Mr. Harper.  
Our next stop was the medical bay where I was introduced to the medical officer Trance Gemini.  
"Thank you very much for saving my life." I told her when Rommie left me in her care.  
"Your welcome. You are very lucky we found you when we did. A few more hours in that pod and I might not have been able to save you. How are you feeling?"  
"Much better, but my head still aches a little."  
"That should go away soon. I can give you something for the pain if you want me to."  
"No, thanks, it's not that bad, just a little twinge now and then."  
About the time Trance finished her exam, the Captain's voice came over the ship's intercom.  
"Trance is Alexandra with you?"  
"Yes, she is."  
"Could you bring her to the conference room please?"  
"On our way."  
When we arrived at the conference room, Beka, Rommie, and Rhade were there as well. Dylan motioned for us to take seats.  
"Alexandra told me that she was living on Cavannah Drift and that she was worried about what had happened to her family in her absence. Rommie and I have done some investigating and found Alexandra's family still on Cavannah Drift. We are going after them."  
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. As I sat trying to figure out why he was being so kind to me, Dylan gave his officers their orders. He soon dismissed them leaving the two of us alone in the conference room.  
"How can I ever repay you for everything you are doing for me? Where will we go? We can't stay on your ship indefinitely."  
"There is an agricultural world called Serenity that is willing to take in refugees with certain qualifications. Your family fits their profile. I pulled a few strings and got your family a place immediately instead of them having to go through all the red tape. As for how you can repay me, I was hoping you would do that by remaining on board and joining my crew."  
"Joining your crew? Doing what?" I asked completely stunned.  
"Mr. Harper came to me immediately after your conversation with him and informed me I would be completely insane if I didn't ask you to stay. He was very impressed with your knowledge of computer engineering and wants you here to help him keep Andromeda running. I would like you to stay as Andromeda's Computer Engineering officer and assistant to Mr. Harper. What do you say?"  
"What about my family?"  
"Your family will be safe and secure on Serenity. They'll have their own plot of land and job opportunities. You can visit them as often as we can spare you and you can communicate with them every day."  
"Can I wait and talk to my family before I decide for sure?" I asked him.  
"Of course. In the mean time, please feel free to explore the ship and talk to the rest of the crew."  
"Thank you."  
A few days later, we arrived at Cavannah Drift. I had to wait on the Andromeda while Dylan, Beka and Rhade went in to get my family. Dylan wouldn't allow me to go because I still wasn't completely recovered from my injuries. I recorded a message to my family for them to take with them. I paced the observation deck while I waited. My pacing was interrupted when Harper came in.  
"Hey, relax, Dylan will get them out safe." He said to me.  
"I know Dylan will do everything he can to get them out safe, it's just that I still can't remember what happened to me, how I ended up on that life pod light years away from Cavannah Drift. I can't help but worry that my family is still a target and that I made them a target."  
There was silence between us for a moment, then out of the blue Harper asked. "Where are you from?"  
"I'm from Cavannah Drift."  
"No, I mean what is your planet of origin. You said you were refugees, refugees from where?"  
"Earth. We left when an opportunity presented itself. I rounded up as much of my immediate family as I could and got the hell out of there. I just wish I could have gotten more of my family out. It's been hand to mouth survival since then."  
"How long ago did you leave?"  
"It's been almost two years now. How about you Mr. Harper, where are you from?"  
"Earth."  
"Really?"  
"Yep, born and barely raised. I left about eight years ago. I returned for a short time last year and tried to help my cousin raise a rebellion, but things didn't work out like we planned."  
We continued to talk as the time ticked by. We found we had a lot in common. We could each understand the other's motivation in the decisions we had made in our lives. Our conversation was interrupted by Rommie.  
"The Eureka Maru is docking."  
"Come on." Harper exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing my hand to pull me along. He took me to the cargo bay where the Maru docked. I stood at his side holding my breath as we waited for the passengers to disembark.  
The first person out of the air lock was my Grandmother followed closely by my Grandfather. I ran forward to greet them all tearfully. After greetings had been exchanged, Dylan came up beside me and took my arm pulling me aside.  
"I want Trance to do a full checkup on them as soon as possible."  
"Why is something wrong?"  
"I hope not, but the accommodations we found them in were not exactly the healthiest."  
I shook my head in understanding but couldn't help the tears that began to fall. To my utter astonishment, Dylan pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. I didn't think about the implications of his actions, I simply accepted his comfort. After he released me I conveyed his request to my family and then Harper and I escorted them to med deck.  
  
It was a three week journey to Serenity and in that time I filled my family in on what had happened the best I could and we all got to know the crew of the Andromeda. Harper especially became a favorite among my family and myself. He was a few months older than me and, my sisters and I began to look at him as a big brother. I talked over Dylan's offer to me with my family and they of course told me to follow my own heart.  
A few days before we reached Serenity, I decided it was time I gave Dylan my answer. I found him in Command and asked if I could talk to him in private. He led me back to the conference room.  
"I feel I have kept you waiting far too long for my answer to your request of joining your crew. For that I apologize, but I had to be sure. So, if your offer is still good I would be honored to join your crew."  
"The offer definitely still stands. As I told you before, you can visit your family as often as possible and you can communicate with them every day. Welcome to the Andromeda Ascendant."  
"Thank you. Hopefully, this will give me a chance to pay you back for your kindness."  
"I don't want you to do this out of a need to repay me, you owe me nothing. I want you to do this because you want to do it." He said moving a little closer to me.  
I became acutely aware of his closeness and I remembered his embrace of three weeks before in the cargo bay. I looked up at him and saw a flash of something in his eyes just for a moment.  
"We'll have a dinner tonight and let everyone know what you have decided." He said. I nodded agreement, then excused myself.  
That night we told everyone of that I had decided to stay on the Andromeda. Harper was thrilled and showed it. Everyone else was somewhat more reserved in their reaction, but welcomed me nonetheless.  
Three weeks later we settled my family on Serenity and I said a tearful farewell to them.  
  
The day after we dropped my family off on Serenity, I began my duties on board. Harper began to teach me about Andromeda's systems and Andromeda herself assisted in my education. Each day brought new adventures and new knowledge. I loved my life on the Andromeda. Never before had I felt such a sense of belonging as I did on the Andromeda.  
I became fast friends with the entire command crew even becoming one of the inner circle so to speak. My friendship with Captain Hunt, however, grew in leaps and bounds. He began to call on me when he needed to talk something through or just simply needed to talk. Whenever I began to feel lonely, or was missing my family a lot, it was Dylan whom I sought out as a companion. We became best friends and at times there was a hint of something more.  
Even though I was happy on the Andromeda, the fact that I still couldn't remember the events that led up to my being found by my new friends bugged the hell out of me. I had dreams sometimes about going into the bar, but once inside everything became hazy as if a veil had been placed over my memory.  
The dreams went on for many months with no more of my memory becoming clear. The day my memory chose to return was the same day I had a cerebral data port implanted so that I could interact with Andromeda more efficiently. Trance, Harper, and Rommie oversaw the implant and everything went smoothly. They sent me back to my quarters with orders to stay in bed for twenty-four hours to allow myself to heal and adjust.  
I fell asleep almost immediately and I began to dream. The dream started out the same, with me entering the Crazy Dane Bar. This time, however, instead of things going hazy the moment I entered the bar, a face came into view. The face belonged to Kal Laronge, the man who had not been pleased with what he found on the file that I retrieved for him. I turned to walk in the opposite direction from him but someone grabbed my arm and yanked me in his direction. I pulled back on my arm, then felt a hypospray being injected into it. In a matter of seconds I lost the ability to move and I was dragged out into the ally behind the bar by two of Laronge's goons. There Laronge himself confronted me.  
"Here we have our smart little information thief who thought she could fool me with false data. How much did you get for the real data you little wench?"  
"I don't know what your talking about Laronge. I gave you what you asked me to get. I don't even know what was in the data."  
Laronge made a motion with his hand and one of his goons backhanded me. The blow would have sent me sprawling if the second goon hadn't been holding me up. This went on for hours, him accusing and demanding to know where the real information was, me denying any knowledge of it. My injuries were the result of his punishment for my denials. The final blow delivered was one that did send me sprawling and my head hit a hard ledge behind me, which would explain the baseball size knot at the base of my skull when Dylan and his crew found me. As I went sprawling, I remember screaming for help and then only blackness until I woke up in the life pod.  
In my dream I kept reliving that last blow over and over again until finally I woke up screaming and lashing out with my arms and legs. When I realized where I was at, I sat up and wrapped my arms around my knees and began to sob. A little while later I became aware of strong arms holding me and Dylan's voice speaking softly to me.  
"It's all right, your safe now. No one can hurt you here." I heard him say.  
"Dylan?" I replied pulling away so I could look at him and make sure it really was him.  
"Yes, it's me." He reassured. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"  
"I remember."  
"Remember what?"  
"What happened to me after I entered the Crazy Dane Bar."  
"Do you want to tell me about it? You don't have to, but it might help."  
I nodded agreement and then told him what I remembered.  
"So you really didn't know what he was talking about?"  
"No, I couldn't tell him what he wanted to know, because I didn't know. I never looked at the data in the files I retrieved. I simply didn't want to know. Not knowing, I told myself, would give me deniability. I never thought about coming across someone who wouldn't believe my denials. I was just naïve I guess."  
We sat there in silence for a long moment. "I'd better go and let you try and get some rest." Dylan finally broke the silence by saying. He got up to leave but I stopped him with a touch to his arm.  
"Please don't leave." I said and put an unspoken plea into my gaze.  
He came back to me and lay down with me on my bed. He pulled me into his arms and held me the rest of the night the way he had when trying to get me warm. This time it was my mind that needed warmth and not my body, but once again it was Dylan who provided that warmth.  
The next day we told Trance and Harper what had happened. Trance figured the implanting of my data port stimulated certain areas of my brain causing the memory to come flooding back. My friendship with Dylan grew stronger that night and I knew that as long as I had him on my side, I could face anything the Universe threw at me.  
  
Two years passed and true to his word, Dylan allowed me to visit my family often and I sent messages to them nearly every day. I told them of my ordeal with Laronge, which answered many questions for them.  
Nearly every night would find Dylan and I sharing a meal together and then just relaxing together. We each drew comfort from the other and couldn't see spending our time any other way.  
"You know, I think you know me and understand me better than anyone ever has." Dylan told me one night after one of our meals together.  
"Really?" I questioned not sure of where this comment was leading.  
"Yes, over the past two years you have become my best friend, my confidant, my advisor. I really don't know what I would do without you." He replied turning on the couch we sat on to look at me. As he gazed at me in silence for a moment, I saw something change in his eyes.  
From the moment he had allowed me into his tight circle of friends, I had been able to read his mood, his emotions, his intentions, and on occasions his very thoughts just by looking into his ice blue eyes.  
On occasions such as this one, when we were simply relaxing together, I could look into his eyes and see a deep friendship and appreciation shining through those eyes. Tonight though, what I saw in his eyes astonished me.  
I saw the same friendship and appreciation, but I also saw a passionate longing and desire.  
I didn't think, I simply lost myself in his eyes and let my instincts take over. I reached out my hand and caressed his cheek. He leaned into my touch, placing his hand over mine then bringing it to his lips to kiss my palm. A shiver of great desire and electric awareness shot through me at the touch of his lips on my skin.  
"Dylan?" I whispered and he stopped my words with a passionate kiss. He lowered me back onto the couch so that he was now lying over me.  
"I love you." He whispered and I could see the truth of his words shining through in his eyes. He wasn't just saying them in the heat of the moment, he truly meant them.  
"I love you too. I have from the moment I woke up and found you asleep at my bedside two years ago." I replied and he kissed me again.  
For a long while, we lay there holding each other and cuddling. He never once tried or even hinted at wanting more from me than kisses and hugs. After a while, I began to get sleepy and I knew I had better go.  
"I'd better get going." I told him and started to get up.  
His arms tightened around me and in those moments I felt his strength and determination in a way that I never had before. It frightened me a little and I couldn't help but tense up a little bit.  
"I don't want to ever let you go." He breathed in my ear. When I tensed a little more in his arms, he loosened his hold and continued. "I would never take anything from you that you didn't willingly give me. You know that? Right?"  
"I know that Dylan, it just startled me a little bit to realize you could if you wanted to. Dylan I want to stay in your arms forever, but you know that I can't, not like this."  
We both knew what I meant and he released his hold on me completely. I kissed him softly, then got up and made my way back to my own quarters.  
It hurt to leave him like that. After our confessions to each other, the few meters of corridor that separated our quarters seemed like light years. I threw myself down on my bed and began to cry uncontrollably. Finally, revealing my true feelings to Dylan had unleashed a need and a longing inside my heart that had become a physical pain. My reaction to my change in relationship with Dylan was remarkable. I couldn't have explained to anyone, I just knew what I was feeling.  
So lost in my emotions did I become that I didn't hear Rommie calling my name in concern, nor did I hear her call for Dylan and Trance. Dylan would tell me later that I never even responded to Trance, but I remembered everything from the moment Dylan touched me.  
The moment he touch my arm, my only thought was to have his arms around me again. "There's nothing physically wrong with her, right Trance?" I heard him ask as he drew me into his arms.  
"As far as I can tell she's perfectly healthy. She seems to be calming down with you holding her."  
"Thank you Trance, I'll call you if she needs you." He said and I heard the slight swish of the door as it opened and closed behind the golden mystery woman who was the best of friends to all of the command crew. We sat there for a few moments, Dylan stroking my hair and finally I was able to get myself under control.  
"Can you tell me what happened? What upset you so much? Was it something I said, something I did?" he asked softly.  
"No, Dylan, it wasn't you. I really don't know what happened. It just seemed like every step I took away from you separated us by galaxies." I paused for a moment and looked up into his face. "Leaving you like that, when all I wanted to do was move closer, was like a physical pain. Yet, I know...."  
He didn't let me finish my sentence. He placed his finger over my lips and spoke himself.  
"Rommie is there a bonding ceremony that can take place right here, right now with you as witness and be considered a legal union?"  
Rommie's holographic image popped into view and replied. "The bonding ceremony of Kanus V fits your parameters."  
"What do we have to do?"  
"Dylan, are you sure about this?" Rommie asked.  
Dylan looked at me and I saw the question in his eyes. He was asking me for forever. I nodded my agreement.  
"Rommie, the ceremony please."  
"Dylan, do you wish to be bonded with this woman? Do you want to protect her and love her for the rest of your days?"  
"Yes, I do!"  
"Alexandra, do you want to be bonded to this man? Do you want to obey him, give him children, and love him for the rest of your days?"  
"Very much so!"  
"Then let the record show that these two have been united as one and only the divine himself can ever separate them. I, the Andromeda Ascendant, have been witness to this union and shared in their promises. Blessings and prosperity to you both."  
Dylan kissed me when Rommie spoke the last sentence of the ceremony. In that kiss was the promise to love me and cherish me for a lifetime.  
"You will both need to sign the document I have displayed on that flexi on the table, then I will transmit it to the appropriate authorities." Rommie told us.  
Dylan got up and retrieved the flexi Rommie was talking about then returned to my side. We signed the document and then he tossed the flexi to the floor. "Rommie don't disturb us unless there is an emergency." He ordered. "Understood. Privacy mode engaged." She replied and then winked out. "Now, you can stay in my arms forever." He said drawing me closer than he had before. "Dylan?" "Yeah?" "You didn't have to marry me." "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I was going to wait a few weeks, but seeing you tonight, I knew that it would be too much torcher on both of us to wait another minute much less weeks." "So, just how long have you been planning on making me your wife?" I asked teasingly, but was completely taken aback by his answer. "From the moment I laid eyes on you." "Really?" I asked not sure if he was serious or not. He lowered back onto the bed so that he once more lay over me. His strong arms were to either side of me, sheltering me from all harm. "I felt a connection to you from the very moment we opened that escape pod you were on. While you were sick after your rescue, I felt like if I left your side, something bad would happen to you. As I sat at your bedside trying to figure out why I was feeling this way, a little voice in my head told me I was feeling this way because I didn't want anything to happen to my wife. That's when I knew that sometime, somehow, someway you would be my wife one day. Now you are and will be for as long as I have anything to say about it." His answer complete, he kissed me. This time, neither of us had to hold back. So instead of trying to hold back our desire, we let it burn. With each touch, each kiss, that painful ache that had brought him to my quarters diminished a little. I knew that when he claimed my body completely, that ache would die forever. I would always need him, always want him, but with this act of our first union, that particular longing would be banished. His possession of me was slow and deliberate, but I knew that our coming together would be well worth the wait. Dylan held my gaze, not allowing me to look away either. We lost ourselves in our pleasure and the world faded away. Nothing else existed except the two of us. The passion between us was like nothing I ever could have imagined, and our mutual climax was like a supernova. I fell asleep in his arms that night, feeling a peace I never thought was possible. I had found my place in the Universe, my family was safe and content, and I had found the man of my dreams. I had always thought that happily ever after was only true in Fairy Tales, but I had found my happily ever after on a ship called Andromeda and in the arms of a man named Dylan Hunt. 


End file.
